


The World Tree: Memoirs of a Fallen King

by Wloky



Category: South Park
Genre: Character Death, Comedy, Death, Discrimination, Enemies, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fantastic Racism, Kyman - Freeform, Light Angst, M/M, Memories, Murder, Some Humor, Stick of Truth AU, War, cartyle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-01-16 15:01:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18523933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wloky/pseuds/Wloky
Summary: The Elf King's story of capture and memories.





	1. And so, the genocide of an ancient nation.

**Author's Note:**

> i promised this and now it here enjoy fam

He couldn’t believe it. His kingdom was falling.

Under his feet, the soil infused with star seeds drying up. Around him, the trees of ancient gods protecting their homeland burning and breaking apart. Behind him, the pride of his race falling down just like the palace he once ruled.

The air which was once so clear thickened up with black smoke as homes within centuries old trees were destroyed in blasts of fire, a red hue lighting up the chaos so timeless. Explosions gave away their faces – so full of terror, so full of fear, so full of the realization that this death was inevitable. The same explosions gave away his face. Confusion. What were those things. Why were the humans holding metal beings? Why were they causing fire and making his people bleed at point? Why were they so loud and so scary? Did the humans tame them or create them? He was always scared of that – the humans, the creators. That race never lived alongside nature, alongside what their God gave them. They took and they killed and they dominated. They rarely lived up to a hundred years and suffered many diseases over their mortal bodies, they were such fragile creatures and yet… They wanted it all. Selfishness, greed, want. They were driven to take over anything they saw fit. Never did he think it’d come to this. An ancient race, fallen.

Defeat, he did admit. One last flash before darkness fell over – the King of the Drow Elves the last one standing, his face speaking of losses of a million. There he approached, the Grand King of the humans, of the land they called Kupa Keep. One of the few humans who actually learned magic. He was powerful. Surely powerful enough to reign over his kin by choosing, not blood. He thought they called it democracy. When he first heard of it, it sounded ridiculous. Why pick a king from among the masses? And why pick this one? The Grand King smiled so beastly, looking down at a much smaller figure. It seemed so similar to all of the previous times they saw eye to eye. He was so arrogant, while his enemy didn’t look scared, nor was he shaken. Which was surprising, considering his entire race was alienated in a war of an enormous scale. Maybe he just didn’t fully realize what happened yet, it happened so fast after all. It might have not set in yet, that’s what the Grand King thought. The elves weren’t good when it came to shock. Hell, they were terrible at surprises.

“Kyle.” The Grand King spoke, addressing the High Elf King in an informal manner for the very first time now that the only witnesses were his own people.

“Are you going to kill me yourself now that these metal creatures did the dirty work for you?” Kyle spoke, prideful as ever, holding his chin high even in the moments he thought to be his last. But prideful he didn’t look, the crown on his head left as the last indication of his now gone power and status.

“No.” He simply answered.

“What?” Finally, the shock set in properly, his face twisting into an expression of anger and fear and confusion all at once. He thought all of this was a nightmare, one that was going to end soon, but suddenly it all felt so real.

“I’m taking you home as a trophy.” Were the only words he offered along with chains and shackles covered in runes powerful enough to suppress elf magic.

“Kill me, Cartman! I’d rather die than live a slave!” He argued, but the soldiers were quicker, making quick work of turning a king into a prisoner. They were cold and cruel, a perfect mirror of their leader. It was as if he made them in his image. The cruel King didn’t listen, he never did. Not when he was offered a cure for chickenpox, not when he was asked to reconsider peace and not now when an old enemy was begging him for mercy.

What a sad tale. The fall of a King.


	2. And so, welcome to human-land.

“So,” The fallen Elf spoke, “what are you going to do with me now?” Even looking into them now, his eyes showed nothing.

Neither of them ever showed any sort of emotion in front of one another, which might have been the reason why they never got along. Ever since they were children, they despised each other. Kyle never knew before he was capable of such intense emotions. He didn’t know of this hate that the humans showed way too often, at least not until he met Cartman. That was where it all began. He still remembered the very first time their eyes met, it was as if the world shifted just a bit and fate died. No rules, no written out stories, they brought each other down with their own choices. All up till now.

“Hmm…” He genuinely seemed to get lost in thought as he looked at Kyle, wrapped all up in chains like a prisoner but sitting on a chair of gold with a pillow filled with duck feathers. The light of the candles flickering against stone walls only added to the view. He looked like he always did. Unbothered. Royal. It was one of the things that always pissed him off.

“I don’t suppose you’d get on your hands and knees and proclaim me your one true King?” He asked in an overdramatic way, hands gesturing to himself as if he walked among gods.

“You suppose correctly. I would rather choke on living frogs than accept you as my ruler.”

“Thought so.”

“You never did want to be my equal.” He whispered under his breath. Cartman pretended not to hear.

“Well, that doesn’t matter. Tomorrow morning I will present you to my people as my trophy of tonight’s battle. Try to get some beauty sleep, don’t want you looking like common folk. Wouldn’t look as convincing in that case.”

“And where exactly am I supposed to sleep?”

“The floor, this is my bed after all.”

“I never did like those sadistic urges of yours.”

“Better get used to it.” Kyle sighed, looking out the window once Cartman killed the flames of the candles.

Once he learned how to use magic, he stopped using his hands for manual work, no matter how easy. He always pressed that he was no peasant and he wasn’t going to get his hands dirty. Despite that, he made one exception – when he killed. That’s something that stuck after he killed his own father. Kyle pitied him to some degree, but he knew this human was not worthy of sympathy, not with how much evil he caused in this world, all the chaos and the ruckus. The foolishness of his actions already brought this world to its knees, it crushed homes and nations and he was just smiling. Taking it all. Throwing over chess pieces on the board of life like a child. This man was going to bring forth his own end. Kyle was convinced.

He quietly opened the window, but he knew there was no way he could escape far enough with these shackles. He didn’t even have a place to run to, that’s why the window wasn’t secured, at least he thought Cartman knew that as well. But who knew? Cartman was just plain stupid and careless at times. He climbed out, jumping swiftly onto a tree branch and nesting in there. It felt just a little bit like home. For now, that was enough.

 

_They met a few days ago on the outskirts of their respective homelands, a point where borders merged together on a wildflower field. One liked to gather flowers for spells, the other liked to practice fighting with his makeshift wooden sword. They kind of just ended up spending time together, until…_

_“You’re stupid!” The child threw a temper tantrum, as expected._

_"I’m just telling you what I saw.” The other little boy talked back. He wasn’t used to someone looking at him like that._

_“Well, I think you’re a fake.” He declared, hands on his hips as if he exposed the secrets of the universe_

_“A fake?” The other boy was taken back. Divination was only one of his natural abilities!_

_“_ _Yes. Fake. Fraud. Because I’m going to be the greatest King in history!” Those deep green eyes looked at him in shock at such an outrageous declaration, but they didn’t mock him. He wasn’t used to someone looking at him like that – like they were equals._

_One of the boys an elf with wild red hair symbolizing his kin’s mastery over fire, the other a human with auburn hair resembling the lands he desired to conquer. They were sure to burn the world together._

 

“Get the fuck out that tree!” Kyle woke up, startled after a stick was thrown at him and got stuck in his red curls. He looked at the one responsible. Auburn hair just as messy, probably from shock when he couldn’t find his trophy where he left it. Serves him right. “What were you doing up in a tree anyway?”

“Sleeping.” He looked at him like it was more natural than a bed.

“Fucking elves, I swear. Get out, we are celebrating me today!”

“Didn’t know murderers deserved glory.” He spoke as he made his way back inside the window, knowing well there was no point in resisting while all of his magic was secured.

“Welcome to human-land.” He grinned, presenting the laws of his race with pride.


	3. And so, the rise of a mortal.

“I don’t understand…” Kyle murmured.

“What don’t you get?” Of course, it’s like this man had superhuman hearing for everything unnecessary and pointless. Whatever, he was going to humor him.

“Why am I being treated like royalty if I’m a prisoner?” He asked, giving him one of those mocking looks from within the hot bath filled with rose petals, being scrubbed down clean by servants.

Kyle understood hierarchy, it was how his people functioned for thousands of years since settling down in their homeland, but he didn’t quite understand the concept of servants doing things for him he could easily do himself. It was as if slavery didn’t get abolished all those years ago, just got a name replacement and a wage added to it.

“Correction, trophy.”

“Oh, right.” He nodded in understanding, making sure Cartman understood his sarcasm, but as per usual, he was too absorbed in himself to even notice.

He got a new robe put on his body then. It was a rich red color with gold accents, the elvish signs covering every last inch of it as it came down and dragged along the floor behind him. He kept his crown, as the blonde princess with gentle eyes put it back on his head. She didn’t treat him cold or like a chore, he could feel it although her face was covered, that she had kindness inside her. Something this place lacked.

He muttered a soft thank you and she nodded in understanding before he followed Cartman outside onto the castle’s balcony. They were rather high up, he realized then. It almost overlooked all of the kingdom, with huge masses underneath them cheering about their victory. They really were overjoyed about their leader wiping out an entire race. Were humans stupid, selfish or did they just not understand? Or was it all three?

He could only wonder as Cartman gave his speech. He didn’t listen. His words embellished in lies and exaggeration did not matter in this situation. Nor did the humiliation he subdued him to. He always did try to put him down, ever since they were children. It was like a game of cat and mouse, except they were both cats, but Cartman was a slightly fatter cat. One of those cats everyone feeds and spoils and it ends up not being able to climb up a tree. Yeah, that description fit him well.

Kyle wasn’t angry either, well, not as much as one would expect him to be. He did feel a lot of resentment thinking of his family in pain and dying and he did miss his home, which was now left bare as a wasteland, but… He couldn’t bring himself to be angry, to act out, to yell, to try and kill this wretched King, even though he felt as if he should. He hated him deep down, but he also knew him. He remembered his words all those years ago, about becoming the greatest King in history. Gods, did he succeed. He knew from that day forward that they were both right. Cartman got what he wanted, but it wasn’t with glory. It was with force and with violence.

You could say he saw his end in Cartman’s eyes that day.

 

_“Damn elves!” The little boy cussed, a very visible frown on that chubby face. He looked kind of funny like that._

_“So,” he kept his hand up, smirking in arrogance as he watched the human boy struggle trapped within vines and held a good foot above the ground, “what were you saying about my people?”_

_“That you’re a lower race!” The human kept his brave façade up, although there were clear tears in the corners of his eyes. Gods, he was so pathetic. Why did he keep this up?_

_“I sure am lower!” He yelled out as he made the vines grow bigger and lift the human boy up higher, showing his tongue as to make fun of him – it was something he learned from this human. Never would he dare show this much disrespect back at home, but in this field on the borders it was as if he could be anyone who he wanted to be. He didn’t fully grasp this disrespectful behavior, nor did he understand his feelings of anger, humiliation or competitiveness. It was the very first time he felt such things, all because of this one human who happened to be his age and who happened to frequent the same place. Was it all just a coincidence, or did the world laugh at him by bringing them together?_

_“I swear, one day I will kill all of you!” It didn’t seem threatening back then, not when a chubby boy screamed it out in a high pitched voice and at the brink of crying while restrained by plants. However, he knew he was speaking of the future back then as well._

 

“He’s such an asshole, I swear.” The blonde girl spoke, nudging Kyle with her elbow as the Grand King walked in front of them, completely forgetting they were even there for his big speech. He was just too self-absorbed to notice.

“Do all humans talk like that?” He had to wonder.

“Like what?”

“Curse words. If we would say things like that, we would actually curse the person and cause harm.” He explained.

“Oh, wow, that’s weird. Well, we aren’t really born with powerful magic like that, we have to learn it and even then sometimes it can never be learned. Also, no, just the ones close to Cartman.” She grinned. “By the way, I’m Kenny.”

“Nice to make your acquaintance.” He nodded as politely as he was to anyone other than Cartman.

“No need to be formal. Now that you have those things on your arms, you can curse at anyone without worry. Try it.” She pat his back in encouragement.

“I don’t think I should.”

“Go ahead, what do you think of the human lord of crap?”

“Goat fucker.” He blurted out.

“There you go.” He had to admit it felt satisfying.


	4. And so, the selfishness of men.

“Another round on the King!” Kenny yelled in a drunken fashion, making quick work of draining the royal money in a tavern that looked like it had more shady business going on than in the castle. If that were possible at least. It was dark inside the wood walls and the candle lights lit up those spider web infested corners as well as they could, but not well enough to tell exactly what shade of brown that drink with foam on top was. He viewed it suspiciously. It made the Princess act weird.

“I don’t think you should keep drinking such potions.” He argued and she laughed. He didn’t know what was so funny about that.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. It’s a good potion. Makes you feel good.” She lectured him, that messy blonde hair and glazed sky blue eyes doing nothing to indicate she was these lands Princess. Despite that, everyone seemed to recognize her and respect her, even admire her charms. It was as if she put a spell on all the men in the kingdom. They were mesmerized by her despite never having seen her face. He didn’t see it either, she always kept it covered even while no one else was around.

“If you say so—” Suddenly, there was red. A blade glistening in silver and liquid, reflecting the fear in his own eyes. He looked up, expression twisting in confusion at the sight of Cartman holding the sword and Kenny looking annoyed at worst.

“I told you not to go around dragging Kyle outside the castle.” He seemed properly angry about the fact. He felt sick. This was because of him. He shouldn’t have gone with her.

“And I told you this fucking hurts!” They argued like children, it would almost look normal if the princess didn’t have a blade piercing right through her heart, skin becoming deadly pale and blood dripping from her mouth before inevitably dropping face first on top of the table with a loud thud. The previous chattering and cheeriness of musicians in the background quietened down, only to watch the scene unfold in just as much shock as he did. Cartman grabbed his arm, dragging him outside the tavern, the last bit of sunlight uncovering just how unbothered he was by what he had just done. Finally, that’s when Kyle snapped.

“What did you just do?!” He yelled, thrashing himself in his grip.

“Killed Kenny. What else?” He said that like it was normal.

“You monster!” He argued, getting angrier each second that Cartman seemed unfazed. He knew he was a tyrannical King, but never did he expect for him to turn on someone who considered him a close friend! All evening Kenny spent talking about little stories from their childhood, how they met each other, made fun of each other and even protected each other.

And there he left her, in a filthy townhouse filled with rats, bleeding out on a table. Just like that.

“Calm down.” He couldn’t believe his ears. Just what was this man capable of?

“Calm down?! Aren’t you going to at least take her home?!”

“Don’t worry,” he grimaced, “the wild animals will take care of the body.”

“You’re sick.” He spat out.

“Thank you.” He nodded with pride as he dragged Kyle along, the poor elf staggering along the dirt road barefoot, all the way back into his new so called home.

 

_“See,” the human boy raised his finger as if to lecture the little elf, “me and my best friend will rule humans just like that! We already have it all planned out.” He looked so proud of himself, presenting his childish plan._

_“Oh,” the elf raised his eyebrows, lost in thought, “I didn’t know you had friends.” He looked genuinely surprised, as if such a feat was impossible. He also looked kind of suspicious. Did he threaten a kid into being his friend? He couldn’t imagine someone hanging around this human willingly, even if it were another human. But then again, here he was spending time with him as well. He would prefer to call it rivalry rather than a friendship though._

_“Hey! I do have plenty of friends! There’s Kenny, there’s Butters, there’s Stan…” He stopped at the third name, rubbing his chin as he was thinking whether there was anyone else._

_“All three. Congratulations.” The elf smiled, pretty amused by how flustered the human got._

_“Won’t need friends when the whole kingdom bows down to me.”_

 

His mind lingered on those words, sitting up on the open window. He hugged his knees as he rested his cheek on his arm, gazing into the starry skies and thinking on how much clearer they were back at home. Would he be even able to see anything if he returned? Everything was consumed in flames and smoke. He missed his family. Most of all, he missed his little brother, but he was thankful he wasn’t there. A few years ago he left to sail the seas. They were very different from each other. His little brother, Ike, he was much different from them.

They weren’t related by blood, they weren’t even of the same race and it showed, but he loved that little one ever since he saw him as a baby rolled up in a blanket and abandoned in their forests. As soon as Ike could walk, he would often wander off to discover everything he possibly could and Kyle was left chasing after him to make sure he didn’t get hurt in the process. It all ended when he announced his departure, saying that he didn’t know when he would come back home, or that he even would. The seas were dangerous after all, he said with a smile.

And Kyle took upon the role of ruling his land after his parents returned to the earth. He was left all alone with so much power he didn’t know how to handle.

Maybe that’s why it came crashing down.

Maybe that’s why he didn’t feel as much anger and grief as he did seeing Kenny die. She was someone who was very… inviting. It was as if she took him under her wing and made his life as a slave to the human King just a little bearable. Someone he would consider as close as family. Someone to miss when she left. And she did.  
He missed her.

“Stop sulking.” Cartman commented looking at that pitiful sight. He couldn’t believe the words he was hearing, it was as if there was no regard for life in this human.

“I think you’re disgusting.”

“Is this about Kenny?” He asked as he stepped closer, leaning with his hands against the windowsill just inches from where Kyle was sitting. He was too close for his liking. He started thinking about killing his captor. He could just wrap his chains against his neck and strangle him, or even pull him down out the window and crash down along with him. It was almost too easy. They would both die. Maybe that would be for the better.

“Oh, I don’t know. How about, wiping out my race, destroying my land, enslaving me, humiliating me and murdering the only person that made this hell bearable?!” He spat out, looking into those eyes full of amusement. He never felt such rage before. He never knew he was capable of being so human, feeling with such strength.

Cartman liked it, he had to admit. That fire in those eyes. All of them always looked so peaceful, climbing those stupid big trees and living the same way their whole life like empty dolls. He hated elves, don’t get him wrong. But this one was different. This one was a monster, just like him. They were the same, even though Kyle would never admit to that. In a sick and twisted way, he enjoyed this. Having him here, unable to run. Ever since he became the Elf King, he stopped coming to the borders. Now he couldn’t leave. He felt satisfaction even though he was resented. It was enough. All of his attention was on him and the fact that he could invoke so much emotion in this elf brought him satisfaction.

“You will forgive me for the last one by sunrise.” Cartman smiled, looking right through him, way too close for his liking. He didn’t know what he meant by that, but he had no time to wonder as their lips connected for just a split second. Cartman always wondered what it would be like to kiss an elf. His lips were surprisingly soft.

“How dare you—”

“Oh, by the way,” he spoke, knowing he wouldn’t remember any of this by morning, “Kenny is a man.” He said nonchalantly, leaving a stunned Kyle behind, his mind racing with thoughts of what just happened and what he just heard.


	5. And so, yet another chain.

He still sat there, didn’t move an inch. Still looking up at the sky, having watched the stars move and the sun rise up to uncover the same sight he had been getting used to for weeks. However, it felt different now. More somber, more melancholic. He has been thinking about many ways on how to end this. Killing Cartman would prove to be difficult in the end, he was sure the corrupted King was prepared for anything. He was unpredictable himself, he proved that last night. Running away wouldn’t work either, the chains made it possible for him to get tracked. Most likely why Cartman found them so fast. What if he just…

“Hey, asshole.” The familiar voice made itself known, going straight towards the wine stash in the room right across the hall. Kyle could hear it. He has been listening to Cartman’s grunts and sighs all night, finding at least a little peace in that.

“Hey, Kenny.” Kyle spiked up upon hearing the name. “Drinking right from the morning?” Cartman didn’t lift his gaze up from the table covered with a map of the continent which their kingdom and many others occupied. Three of them were crossed out, including the homeland of the elves.

“After the shit you pulled last night? Sure am.”

Kyle rushed in, hopeful eyes looking at the face of a man who had the same messy hair, the same soft blue eyes, the same freckles along the nose as the princess he came to know. He remembered Cartman’s words.

“Oh, hello,” Kenny looked at him with the same gentle look as always, “I don’t think we have met yet.” He ignored those words.

“How are you alive?” Both Kenny and Cartman froze up, looking at him in shock.

“What are you talking about?” Kenny laughed nervously, not really knowing how to react to such a question. He hadn’t heard that one since the first time Cartman saw him die.

“Cartman said I wouldn’t remember by sunrise. How are you alive?” His look was determined. He just spent the entire night grieving over Kenny and there she… he was. No marks anywhere, no wounds, not even scratches. It was as if nothing happened.

“Huh,” Cartman wondered out loud, “so elves remember. Makes sense.” Right after saying that, he went back to work, if it could be called work. This little surprise didn’t bother him much, or at least he decided not to show it. Kyle still looked very confused, so Kenny actually put the bottle down and stepped outside with the elf, immediately finding himself in a big hug, which was actually nice. He loved Cartman, but he wasn’t a very affectionate person. You could say he showed his love with violence and being mean.

“Hey, Kyle. Sorry you had to see that. He has no fucking regard for anyone else, but to be fair I didn’t think you would remember my death either.” He spoke softly, rubbing his back in a very comforting way.

“He’s such a jerk! He just kissed me, told me I wouldn’t remember and left me to grieve!” Kyle blurted out, immediately telling on the crooked King to the only person he trusted in this place and seemingly also the only person who could stand their own against him.

“He kissed you?” Kenny had to ask, now wondering whether hell froze over while he was gone. Kyle nodded, leaning his head into his shoulder and sighing, not wanting to say one more word about that or even explain. He was in so much grief that he didn’t really think about that part in the first place, but now he felt a sense of shame for letting himself be caught off guard. Was it his fault though? He couldn’t protect himself with his magic anymore and humans didn’t hold the same boundaries as they did, so there wasn’t much else he could have done to prevent it…

“Poor little guy,” Kenny continued, fully understanding the circumstances, “and here I wanted to do that first.” He joked, laughing at the angry expression he got right after. At least he didn’t have to explain, at least someone understood him. Did Cartman?

“So, how?” He asked one more time.

And Kenny spoke of a tale as old as time: “I’m immortal.” He knew this tale very well, his own people were said to be immortal by some, just because they lived up to a thousand years and when their time came, they would lay to rest in the earth and let their body turn into a tree that grew stronger and stronger till the end of time. That was why they were so powerful, they gave to the earth and back to each other – their whole land was a powerhouse of magic. They lived and they died alongside nature, honoring it and in return growing stronger. Funnily enough, because of this enormous power they were believed to be the most powerful race and seen as a major threat by many. All they ever wanted was to live in peace. Sure, some of them went rogue, but the whole nation couldn’t be held responsible for the missteps of a few. He couldn’t deny Cartman’s straightforward strategy to destroy everything in a blast, not giving them the time to defend themselves and leaving their King completely helpless. Even without these chains, he would never return to his full power again, his ancestors bodies and souls were annihilated in the blast. That’s why fighting back seemed pointless.

“In what way?” Kyle asked. There were many versions of that word.

“I can die, but I always come back. I don’t regenerate, my body gets torn to shreds by seemingly possessed woodland critters and rats, but by sunrise I wake up. I remember everything, you know. It fucking hurts.” He grimaced, remembering the pain from last night of having his heart stabbed through and forced to stop beating for no good reason.

He really hated how thoughtless and selfish Cartman acted sometimes. Well, most times. Come to think of it, he never even hurt him before. Never left a scratch on him even though he remembered his immortality. Cartman probably didn’t think he heard him, but he remembered him crying behind the door while he was slowly dying in bed of a sickness no one could identify. He swore he would find a cure. Kenny didn’t understand why back then, but that was the first time he ever saw Cartman show selflessness and empathy. It made him happy to know his best friend was human after all, even though he acted like a monster most of the time. This time, however, he clearly understood the message – Kyle was his. In a sick and twisted way he worried about the elf. He always heard him talking about this little elf boy when they were little kids about how much he hated him. It’s like he never grew out of the phase of children being mean to the one they like. He just took it to a new level that would be funny if it didn’t cost the lives of millions.

“I’m sorry, you had to suffer because of me…” Kyle apologized as if he was responsible for Cartman’s actions. Did he think so about the genocide as well?

“Don’t worry about it, I will have my own little revenge on him soon enough.” Kenny smirked, already brainstorming various ways on how to drive him crazy. Wouldn’t be too hard, it was very easy to annoy him.

“Speaking of, why does nobody but Cartman and me remember your deaths?”

“Honest to God, no clue. Might have something to do with you being the most powerful elf walking the Earth, as for Cartman… when he was a child, before you two even met, he started going blind and therefore looking for spells on how to fix his sight.” It sure was a strange story to tell.

“He put a spell on his eyes?”

“Well, no. He would have to take the eyes of another person and put them in his sockets himself while doing the spell.”

“Whose eyes are those then?” He asked, not expecting the answer.

“Mine.” Kenny simply said, chuckling at the memory.

“He stole your eyes?!” Kyle immediately panicked, showing that fire again, like he was ready to waltz back to Cartman after everything he did and rip him a new one.

“Calm down,” Kenny laughed, “at the time I got shot in my stomach by an arrow, went right through my vital organs. I told him to try it with my eyes. He said he did it to keep something as a memory of me because until then he didn’t know I would come back. Then, he saw me come back with my own eyes.” He spoke of that time fondly. Finally he had found someone whose memory didn’t just get wiped overnight. Finally someone remembered him being gone and grieved him and felt relief when he came back. It felt good to be missed. Kyle did calm down, giving a little sigh.

“Kenny…”

“I know.” He gave a bitter smile, now thinking back to other parts of the night. What was he supposed to do now?


	6. And so, the regret of winning.

“This will be your guard.” Cartman spoke, interrupting the elf from his book that he got caught up in since morning. The sun was going to set soon. It was kind of embarrassing, but ever since the kiss he tried to avoid him in any way possible. Shouldn’t he have been doing that in the first place? No, annoying him was the least he could do to make his life just a little more miserable for imprisoning him.

“Nice to meet you, my name is Stan.” He held out his hand, introducing himself very politely. Well, this sure was different from every other human he met so far. The boy had hair like a raven, falling down into bangs that framed his light eyes, making them stand out. He looked pretty strong, like he had been trained to fight for years, trained to be a soldier. He didn’t feel like a soldier though. His energy felt soft and kind.

“Kyle.” He simply replied, deciding not to pay Stan much attention for now, too preoccupied with other thoughts. He wasn’t a threat at the very least, that’s all he could ask for.

“Wait,” Kyle stopped to think, “what do I need a guard for?”

“We will talk about this in my room.” Cartman replied and left without another word. He was so busy lately, he barely saw him anymore these days.

“What’s wrong with him?” Kyle asked, watching him leave with a weird feeling in his chest. What was this new emotion he was experiencing? Was the restriction on his magic turning him human or was it all the humans he spent every day with?

“He has a stick up his ass.” Stan spoke, making sure to be loud enough for Cartman to hear as he was leaving. And he did hear, if the middle finger in the air was anything to go by.

“Well, that’s not news.” He looked back into his book, trying to push down that ache around his heart, but he couldn’t focus on the words. He just blankly stared at the pages.

“How about we kill him?” Stan suggested and Kyle choked out a laughter at the sudden proposal.

“What are you talking about? Are you not his servant?”

“Fuck no! I’m a warrior, Stan the great, savior of animals everywhere!” He pulled out his sword, posing with it as if for a painting.

“Animals? Shouldn’t the focus be on killing foreigners?” He asked with an amused expression.

“Actually,” he pulled back his sword, “I never killed other races. I trained to kill other humans.” Kyle froze at that, looking at him with wide eyes. He said that so nonchalantly, as if there wasn’t much else to it. He could understand the way he was treated and the way his people died, Cartman expressed his hatred towards others races, particularly his, way too often. Humans didn’t like different. He understood that, as cruel as it was. Living in this place, that hatred became his reality. But…

“You… kill your own?” He couldn’t understand that part.

“I hate humans.” Stan confessed.

“Why? You’re a human as well.”

“Because all we do is destroy. Humanity has prided itself in its endless creativity, the will to live freely, the ability to create unimaginable things. What did we use it for? We created machines to destroy and we destroyed beyond repair. Kyle, your kingdom became nothing but dust. Nothing can grow on that land anymore, not a single grass.” He told him outright, not sugarcoating the truth in the slightest.

“Ah,” he sighed, “I thought so.”

“Why aren’t you angry?” Finally, someone asked him.

“I… don’t know.” He really didn’t know how to explain something like that. Why wasn’t he angry? He was starting to get angry at himself for that.

“Mhm.” Stan nodded, the least he could do was not to question his confusion. It would only make everything worse.

“Maybe… because I always knew this was going to happen.”

“You knew?”

“Elves can sense the future, but we can never tell our own fate. When I met Cartman, I never saw what was going to happen to me, but I saw in his eyes that he was going to bring the world down with him. I got the feeling that I was going to be a part of that.”

“Why didn’t you do something to avoid it?” He had to ask. He would rather not be in this position as well.

“I couldn’t. We can’t change our fate, we live and we die by choices made by something greater than us. That’s why I always found myself drawn to him, found myself coming back to that cursed field and telling myself it was for gathering wildflowers. I never did come home with any. Despite all the cruel and hateful things he always said to me, and the cruel and hateful things I said to him in return, I couldn’t help myself looking forward to seeing his face again.” He confessed, pouring his heart out in a somber tone, unsure of what any of his words meant. He didn’t understand them, he wasn’t supposed to. As by elf nature, he was never supposed to feel with such intensity, he was supposed to find a mate that matched his personality with harmony and kiss them. Create a bond with them. Instead, he bonded with someone whose personality was like gasoline to his candle, turning warmth into a deadly wildfire. Stan didn’t say anything after that, just giving him an understanding nod and letting him retreat into Cartman’s bedroom, where he spent most of his time.

 

“Here you are,” Cartman spoke, not reading the depressive mood in the air at all, “I’ll be leaving up North in the morning.”

“What? Why?” Kyle didn’t even get a second to get his thoughts in order before he heard that.

“Diplomacy shit.” He grimaced, not liking the idea of it any bit.

“But you don’t do diplomacy.” The elf looked at him with the utmost suspicion in his eyes.

“I know. I have to though. The beasts are like fucking metal, their fur and muscle is so iron tight that no bullets will get through. Even explosions barely hurt them and we don’t really have anything else at the moment. I already have Butters working on finding some way to turn poison into gas on a large scale, but time is tight and they declared war on us. I have to convince them into keeping peace. Which might be hard, since they’re dumb as shit.” Cartman explained as if on autopilot, continuing to go through every step and every little detail of his plan on how to pull such a stunt off until—

He got shut up. Small hands covered his cheeks and soft, rosy lips moved away from his just a tiny bit. He had to say, he didn’t expect that one.

“You kissed me.” Cartman stated.

“Yes.” He agreed.

“Why?” He knew why. He knew what his kiss meant in the eyes of an elf, but he depended on memory loss. Come to think of it, weren’t the elves, like, masters of sniffing out their life-partner? In hindsight, even with memory loss, Kyle would have felt this attraction all the same, just with a little more confusion. Now he was confused himself though.

“It’s your fault.”

“I know.”

“I hate you for doing this to me.”

“I know…” For the first time in his life, he looked genuinely guilty. He shouldn’t, this was all part of his strategic plans on how to overtake every kingdom around them, to stretch humanity across the whole continent. So why did he leave Kyle alive? He was the target of his hatred for years. He killed all the other rulers, he should have just beheaded him and forgot about it all and continued on. And why did he feel such regret looking into his eyes? Why did he keep wondering about whether things could have gone differently, had he not followed through with declaring the first war?

“You took my people. You took my family. You took my home. You took my freedom. Why can’t I bring myself to hate you with my whole being when I look into your eyes? You destroyed everything that I knew, you took my nature and shattered it to pieces. Why can’t I just hate you?”

“Kyle, I’m sorry I created a bond—”

“No,” he interrupted him, “I felt this way since the first time I met you. The day I met you was the day that I became human. I can’t understand it, but I feel it when I’m around you. I know I’m not supposed to, but I can’t help it.” There were tears in his eyes, dropping from his cheeks onto an expression of absolute confusion and helplessness. All that he knew was that the world felt a little more nostalgic with him around. With someone who expressed nothing but disgust towards his very existence, someone whose soul reflected nothing that he said, someone who stars aligned to cross his path.

“Me too…” Cartman whispered so softly that he could barely catch those words.

They stayed in each other’s arms for what felt like hours.

 

By morning, Cartman left in a carriage led by horses, their shared moments from the night before leaving him vulnerable.


	7. And so, the world bites back.

“So,” Stan stood beside Kyle, watching the carriage disappear, “looks like Kraken is gone.” Kyle had to stifle a laugh at that comparison. He sure looked and acted like a sea monster, that was an undeniable fact, to say the least.

“Yeah.” He still looked forward, to the spot where he could no longer see him, but didn’t want to let go just yet. He kind of wished he could have tagged along, but he guessed taking his formal prisoner, the King of the Drow Elves whose entire race he wiped off the surface of the Earth, wouldn’t make a good impression. It was for diplomacy after all.

“Want to take the chains off now that he isn’t watching you like a hawk?” Stan asked and Kyle blinked in surprise.

“You can do that?”

“Yeah, I was there when they were made. All you need to do is infuse the scribblings with the blood of the guy who made them and break them with the hammer that smote them.”

“Well, where do we get those things?”

“From Butters, of course. He makes nearly all of Cartman’s toys. When in doubt, just threaten that guy. Come on.” Kyle finally turned his gaze and followed Stan. He guessed that Cartman would get very pissed off once he came back and saw what they did, but honestly, he was eager to take every chance of making that man’s life just a little harder and more annoying. He did feel a strange connection with him, regardless of their bond, but that wouldn’t stop him from taking every opportunity just to see his face infuriated.

 

There sure was tension in the air, Kenny thought as he looked over the passing woods. The roads were so bumpy. They would have to make quite a few stops for the horses to rest, it was a long journey and the freezing mountains were hard to access too. He tapped his finger onto the little window, lost in thought as his other hand supported his chin. The quietness was killing him, quite literally. Finally, he had to ask.

“Cartman.”

“Yeah?”

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

“What are you talking about?” He gave him a look. Wrong answer.

“You’ve been acting like someone ate your last dessert.”

“Someone did eat my last dessert.” He stated.

“Oh, right. Sorry.” Cartman rolled his eyes at that, he was too… tense. Too anxious. He didn’t know why last night made him so confused and nervous. For the first time in his life, he didn’t want to go through with his plan. It felt like his heart was being squeezed having to be away from Kyle for so long. Besides, suddenly he didn’t like the idea of risking his life. Suddenly he didn’t care about all these nations and conquering them. What was he doing? Why was he doing it? Why did everything stop making sense?

“Let’s just focus on work for now.” He wasn’t going to talk about his feelings, but he knew Kenny understood them better than he did himself anyway.

“As you wish.” He was thankful for having someone like Kenny.

 

They stared at each other, one with determination and one with fear. Kyle stared at both of them.

“I can’t do that.” Butters finally spoke, with much less confidence than he probably intended to.

“Yes you can.” Stan argued. Kyle kind of just watched them quietly from the corner still, his eyes going towards the one who spoke at the moment. For a while, he just stood there in the corner, but then spotted a dagger on the shelf and grabbed it, going straight towards Butters and making a cut across his palm.

“Ouch! What in God’s name?!” Butters was left shocked, the cut on his palm stinging and the elf’s expression not really matching what he just did. He just looked at him curiously, as if he didn’t understand why that was painful. Stan had to laugh, before he turned to look outside the windows after hearing a ruckus.

“Take these things off me. I won’t harm anyone.”

“Well, geez, you just did. Besides, I can’t do that, Cartman would kill me.”

“Butters?” Stan asked, interrupting their little squabble as he was looking outside at a strangely large mass of people gathering together and shouting.

“Yes?”

“I think you will have to worry about that later. If you don’t do it, we will all be killed.” The voices made themselves clear as he opened the window just slightly to explain the inconvenient situation. He peered outside, his eyes widening at the weapons held high in hands and the masses calling for the death of all royals.

“O-Oh, geez…” He stuttered, rushing to smear his blood all over the chains. Forget Cartman, they had a much bigger problem on their hands.

“Oh, fuck.” Kyle corrected him.

“Fuck is right. We need to leave as fast as possible, hurry up, Butters!” And he did, smearing his blood all over the chains as fast as possible, even going as far as cutting his other palm to save time and grabbing his hammer, smashing it into them. The scribblings glowed with a green hue, cracking on every corner before the chains completely shattered and all of the suppressed elf magic suddenly burst out, growing a thirty foot wall of spiky veins between them and the angry masses just as they discovered them and marched towards them.

“We need to get out now!” Stan yelled, grabbing Kyle’s hand and dragging him outside towards the horses, Butters following behind.

 

The carriage stopped abruptly, followed by the horses neighing in alarm. Finally, Cartman snapped out of his inner thoughts. Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong.

“Get out!” Kenny yelled, tackling him out of the carriage onto the ground before one of the beasts fell on top of it, completely smashing it in the process and standing up straight away, as if not phased in the slightest from the fall. All the beast did was crack his neck. Cartman and Kenny watched him, too paralyzed with fear and the sudden realization that Cartman almost died. Everything would have ended there. The beast looked back at them, showing clear disappointment that they managed to dodge his attack and weren’t just a puddle of blood and guts beneath his bare feet.

“Cartman…” Kenny spoke, looking into those completely black eyes viewing them up and down like prey.

“Y-Yeah?” He swallowed nervously, trying to brainstorm a way on how to get out of here. They could run, but that would only cause the beast to chase them and who knew how many lurked around hidden? Something had to have stopped the horses…

“I can only protect you once.”

“I’m aware.” He replied.

“So what’s the plan?” He asked and when Cartman didn’t reply, he looked back at him only to see a scared little boy who realized he tried fate one time too much. Finally, he decided on one course of action.

“…I will distract him.”

“Kenny, get out of here.”

“What are you talking about?!”

“You’re immortal, but I’m the one with magic. If they catch you, it will be hell on Earth for you.”

“I can’t just leave you behind!”

“Kenny, go!” He said, pulling out a gun and his hand glowing with a black smoke he has never seen before. What was he doing? Just before he could pull the trigger, another beast grabbed him from behind, the other reaching for Kenny and holding him down as he saw his best friend being beaten down into a bloody mess and the gun falling from his hand.

“ERIC!”


	8. And so, the end.

Déjà vu.

That’s what it felt like when they raced their way up to the Northern Kingdom, not expecting to catch up with them so soon. Broken debris, smashed holes in the rocky ground and dead animals caught up all in the fight.

Destruction.

His heart sank when he saw the sight of smoke rising from the ground and disappearing up into the skies, it all felt too familiar, although on a much smaller scale. Tell him why, why did it feel so much more painful then? Why was the sight of his enemy falling to the ground, blood covered face and broken bones so much more painful than the genocide of his race? Why did the man responsible for the war crimes against his people fall back onto his knees in front of a mere soldier? Every scream from Kenny being held down on the ground broke him, not blessed with a death to escape this horrendous sight of his best friend nearing his end. They wanted to make sure he couldn’t escape.

“Kyle…” Cartman spoke and Kenny’s cries quietened down into soft sobs, tears falling into the dirt. Cartman looked at him one more time, admiring what he saw in the face of someone he chased since they were children. Trying to keep up with him, trying to become greater than him. Trying to have him. And he did. In this moment, he did. He just regretted he couldn’t have confessed to him his own feelings.

“ERIC!” Kyle screamed, jumping off his horse and rushing to throw off the beast, to delay it, to prevent it, to save him. However, as the wall of thorns between them grew, it was too late. Cartman’s chest was crushed and only after that did the beast’s arm get impaled, along with the rest of his body and the other ones as the anger and grief grew with each closing step. He became weak, stopping in front of the dead body and being unable to look down, instead looking up at the sky, his tears matching the rain that came pouring down onto them. It wasn’t a mere coincidence, Kyle’s power was growing, but in that moment… Nothing mattered anymore.

Kyle then muttered something as the overpowering sound of thunder made it impossible to hear, only for them to see on his lips as he lowered himself to kneel over Cartman’s body. Kenny reached out, but was stopped when the elf let out roots from his hands and legs, sinking into the mountain dirt and his own body disappearing by the twigs, the leaves, the wood growing out of his back and crushing both him and Cartman beneath, only to leave a Rowan tree standing tall behind, blocking off the path to continue further. They were left staring in sorrow. It was said heartbreak could kill, seemingly that was true.

What a sad tale. The fall of two Kings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story had been heavily edited and watered down from what it was originally supposed to be. Not only was it meant to be longer with a lot more scenes, but also contain a lot more tension between Eric and Kyle, a lot more humiliation and a developing Stockholm syndrome due to the bound that was created via rape, but I replaced it with a kiss instead. If you are interested in me developing this story to its original concept, let me know.


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